Beetles and Bats
by Twilight PhoenixFyre
Summary: Something didn't go according to plan. Now, Shizuko is ready for her chance to show her father just what she can do. But, will he let her? And what will her twin brother do in the meantime? 'T' for cursing, violence, etc., mostly because I'm paranoid. (Cover to come when I stop being lazy.)
1. Chapter 1, Shino and Shizuko

**Beetles and Bats  
**Written by Kairi (Twilight PhoenixFyre)  
_Summary: Something didn't go according to plan. Now, Shizuko is ready for her chance to show her father just what she can do. But, will he let her? And what will her twin brother do in the meantime? 'T' for cursing, violence, etc._

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So, this is the first Naruto fanfiction I'm posting. This particular storyline is one that came to me and doesn't seem to want to leave, so I figured I might as well just do it. Um... I suppose I should put some warnings up here.**  
**

**1) There will be a Canon/Original Character pairing eventually! (Like, _way_ into the story.)**

**2) Yes, the OC is supposed to be the twin sister of a canon character who, according to canon, is an only child. This will be explained! (Again, later. But not as 'later' as the OC's eventual love life.)**

**3) ...This kinda starts off in the middle of nowhere. And it's probably crap, because I have only half an idea what I'm doing here in the beginning. So yeah. You've been warned.**

Anyway... I should probably stop rambling now, since there's more at the bottom. If you guys like this, let me know in a review, because otherwise, this story will go the same way that many of them have. (AKA, I'll post about five chapters and then pretty much abandon it.) Now then... Nope, I think I'm done.

_Disclaimer: I own only my OCs. Many are mentioned this chapter, but only one is relevant to this story. You can ignore the rest, they're just in here as filler names._

Enjoy the first chapter!

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**Chapter 1  
Shino and Shizuko**

"Now, we ended up having an odd number of students graduating this year, including six privately-tutored students," Iruka began. "So, one of these teams will end up being a group of four as opposed to the other groups of three."

"Uh, Iruka-sensei? I'm only counting thirty-six people. We'd have to have thirty-seven for it to be the odd number you're saying graduated," Shikamaru commented from the back of the classroom. Iruka blinked and looked around before frowning.

"Well, the student missing is the one who's going to get to choose her team, so I suppose it's not such a big deal that she's late..." he muttered.

"What?! She gets to pick?!" one of the girls in the front cried. Iruka sighed.

"Her score matches up perfectly with the class's average, and since each team is built to balance every member's strengths, it only made sense that she be allowed to choose," he replied. "Now then... Team 1... Ichigo Tsukihana, Itami Kyomen, and Aikibo Kori," he started, listing off the teams.

A certain blonde-haired boy was about to fall asleep when he heard his name called.

"Team 7... Naruto Uzumaki, Sakura Haruno, and Sasuke Uchiha."

Naruto cheered after the first two names, while Sakura pouted. After Sasuke was announced as being the third member of their team, however, the two roles were reversed. Iruka couldn't help but crack a smile at that before he continued.

"Team 8... Shino Aburame, Kiba Inuzuka, and Hinata Hyuuga. Team 9... Zero Kotone, Arashi Sakkaku, and Kurai Iroyume," he stated. He noticed the look of disgust on the face of the girl in the front, and sighed. Kurai and Zero hated each other with a passion... "Team 10, Shikamaru Nara, Ino Yamanaka, and Choji Akimichi."

Two more teams later, and Iruka finally placed the paper down on his desk, and looked around with a frown. "And our missing student still appears to be... missing..." he muttered. He looked up toward the back of the classroom, where Shino was staring at the ceiling.

Naruto yawned. "Come on! I know I have a tendency to be late but—Gah!"

Everyone's attention was diverted to where Naruto sat, or rather, had been sitting before being startled out of his chair. Sitting on the desk between where he had been and where Sakura was sitting was someone else, a body about the same size as the rest of them that was concealed by black pants and a very pale red hooded jacket.

"What the—? When did you get here?!" Naruto yelled, finally getting back to his feet and pointing at the figure on the desk.

"She's been here since before most of us arrived," Shino stated. "And she also has a habit of hanging out on ceilings," he added, probably a bit late. Iruka sighed.

"I'm going to assume that your decision to drop in on Team 7 is your way of informing me which team you'll be joining," he stated, giving the now-identified as a girl a pointed look.

The girl just nodded, while Sasuke looked at her, then back at Shino. "You know her?" he asked.

"Shizuko is my twin sister," he replied. Iruka nodded.

"Now then... you're all dismissed for lunch. Be back here in an hour to meet your jounin teachers," he ordered.

The classroom cleared out quickly, though Shizuko didn't move at first. Shino, who had paused next to the door, looked back at her before sighing and walking over. After one final check to make sure they were alone, he sat on the desk across the aisle from the one his sister sat on.

"How'd you do it?"

The hood shifted slightly. "What do you mean?" a very similar voice asked. Shino frowned.

"How did you convince them that you passed the exam?" he expanded. Shizuko's hood shifted again.

"I didn't, because I did. Uncle Muta has been teaching me, remember? But Father... Father doesn't know yet, though. Or maybe he does now... Either way..." she trailed off. Shino sighed.

"You know he's not going to be happy about this," he said. Shizuko shrugged.

"I wonder if he'll even let me go through with the second part of the exam," she mumbled. Shino raised an eyebrow.

"Second part?"

"To make sure we're actual genin material. Our jounin instructors are supposed to test us. Apparently, only about a third or so of the 'graduating' ninjas really make genin. This is a relatively big class, so for us, it'd be closer to a fourth," she stated. Shino's expression became grave.

"That means only three teams are going to make it," he stated. Shizuko nodded.

"Yes. More could make it, but it's unlikely. Three is the normal number," she replied. Then her hood shifted again. "So... Since I really don't feel like going home for an hour, shall we go to Ichiraku's? It's been a while since I've had ramen," she asked. Shino sighed and slipped off the desk.

"Count on you to change the subject like that. Still... He probably won't object to you taking part in the second test. If only three teams are going to make it, the chances of yours being one of them are slim," he stated. Shizuko shrugged again and hopped off of the desk, following her brother out of the room.

The two of them, when standing side by side, were obviously the same height, something that had always amused Shino to no end. Shizuko had a habit, when sitting, of making herself as tiny as possible, creating the illusion of her being smaller than him. She never hunched herself over when she stood or walked, however.

"So... Ichiraku's, huh?" Shino asked. Shizuko nodded.

"It's been a while."

The two were silent as they wandered down the street. They had just sat down and ordered when Shino broke the silence again.

"Why Team 7?"

Shizuko sighed. "Because Uncle Muta asked nicely. Apparently, he's going to try to make Father think I've got the worst odds possible stacked against me, and then we're hoping I can make it past the second part of the exam. He thinks that maybe if I can show Father how good I've gotten, he'll let me keep at it," she explained.

"So you're throwing yourself in with Naruto to help stack the odds against yourself," Shino muttered. His sister nodded, but didn't reply, instead choosing to focus on her bowl of ramen. Shino picked around at his, mind miles away and yet right next to him at the same time.

Even after their ramen was finished, the two sat in silence for a bit. Teuchi didn't bother them. It wasn't the first time the two had simply come in to sit around.

"We should get back. Our jounin instructors should be arriving soon," Shino stated. Shizuko just nodded, pulling money out of her pocket to pay for the ramen. The twins stood and left without another word, arriving back at the school within a few minutes. Most of the class was already there, so almost everyone saw this time when Shizuko literally jumped up and bounced off of the wall before coming to rest upside-down on the ceiling, right above where Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura were sitting.

A number of jounin arrived all at once and started calling out team numbers, leaving only three teams in the room. A few minutes later, two more came in, one male and one female.

"Team 10?" the male called. Shikamaru sighed and stood up, being the first to follow the man out. The female frowned, looking over the remaining two teams.

"Alright, which group of three is Team 8?" she asked. Shino smirked.

"That would be the group of three," he replied, pointing to the ceiling. The woman looked up and blinked. Then she sighed.

"Alright, come on," she mumbled. Kiba and Hinata followed her happily, though Shino paused in the doorway to look up at his sister one last time.

Then the wait began for Team Seven. About an hour in, Naruto started drawing on the chalkboard, while Sakura watched on. Sasuke took a moment to glance up at Shizuko and frowned. "Are you sleeping?"

Baffled looks from Sakura and Naruto were the only responses he received.

Sometime in the afternoon, Naruto finished erasing the blackboard and ran over toward the door with a stool. He hopped up onto it and wedged the eraser in the door.

Sasuke sighed. "Naruto, our teacher is an elite jounin. There is no way that he is going to fall for that," he stated. Sakura looked angry.

"Naruto! You're going to get all of us in trouble!" she added.

"It'll be an improvement on being bored out of our minds."

Three utterly confused teens looked around at each other at the unfamiliar voice before finally directing their gaze towards the ceiling. Shizuko hadn't appeared to have moved, though.

"Of course, being bored out of our minds does have its advantages... Unless, of course, you're trying to avoid thinking about something," she continued, confirming that she had, in fact, been the one to speak.

_THONK!_

All attention was immediately re-directed toward the door, where a white-haired man had his head stuck in the door. Naruto grinned at the successful prank, while Sasuke silently groaned.

The man stepped into the classroom and assumed a thoughtful position. "Hmm... Based on my first impressions of you three... You're annoying," he grumbled. Sasuke shook his head and pointed straight up.

"Four, sensei. And honestly, Naruto was the only one involved in that," he said. The man blinked and looked up at the ceiling, where Shizuko still sat quietly. He stuffed his hands in his pockets.

"How long have you been up there?" he asked.

"With the exception of about an hour around lunch time? Five hours, give or take," she replied. The jounin nodded.

"Impressive chakra control. It gives me the impression that you do this a lot," he stated. Shizuko's smirk was barely visible, but it was there.

"At least four hours a day, usually closer to six."

The man nodded, then looked around over the rest of them. "Alright. Since you're the only ones in here, I'm going to assume that you're Team 7. Let's go somewhere else," he suggested before walking off. Naruto and Sakura followed almost immediately, with Sasuke standing to do the same after a moment.

He paused for a second, intending to look up at Shizuko, only to have her land next to him before walking out after the other three.

Their jounin instructor brought them to the roof of a building, where they sat down relatively in a line, with Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura in a row from left to right and Shizuko to the right and behind Sasuke.

"So, let's start with introductions," their sensei stated.

"What do you want to know?" Sakura asked.

The jounin looked a bit uncomfortable. "How about your likes, dislikes... Dreams for the future, hobbies, stuff like that?" he replied. Naruto blinked.

"Hey, why don't you introduce yourself to us first? Show us how it's done, huh?" he suggested. The man sighed.

"Alright. Well, my name is Kakashi Hatake. I have no desire to tell you guys about my likes and dislikes. Dreams for the future...? Hmm... Well, I have lots of hobbies..." he stated. The three teens whose faces he could see deadpanned. "Now it's your turn."

"So, all we learned was his name?" Sakura muttered. Naruto shrugged.

"Okay, my turn! I'm Naruto Uzumaki! I like cup ramen, but I really like the ramen at Ichiraku's when Iruka-sensei takes me out to eat! What I don't like is waiting three minutes after you pour the hot water into the cup ramen," he rambled happily. Shizuko smirked, something that caught Sasuke's attention, despite her being behind him.

"Something funny?" he asked, interrupting Naruto. Shizuko shook her head, gesturing for Naruto to continue.

"Anyway..." the semi-dejected blonde re-started. Then he grinned. "My dream is to surpass the Hokage, and then everyone will have to acknowledge and respect me! As for hobbies... pranks, I guess."

Kakashi was quiet for a moment before he looked at Sasuke. "Next?"

The dark-haired boy sighed. "My name is Sasuke Uchiha. There are plenty of things I dislike, and I don't especially like anything. What I have is not a dream, because I will make it a reality. I am going to restore my clan... and kill a certain someone," he stated.

All was silent for a moment before Kakashi looked at Sakura and Shizuko. "Ladies? Any volunteers?"

"I'm Sakura Haruno, and the thing I like is... Well, the person I like is..." Sakura started, almost constantly blushing and looking in Sasuke's direction. "Umm... My dream is... Ah..."

Shizuko's hood shifted, and Kakashi got the impression that she was giving him a look that said 'seriously?' Kakashi didn't blame her.

"The thing I hate is Naruto!" Sakura added, finally getting a sentence out without stumbling over it. Naruto over-dramatically fell over, leaving Sakura to start again. "My hobby is..." she trailed off. Kakashi sighed as she went back to staring as Sasuke. Then he glanced back at the final member of their group.

"Well?" he prompted.

Shizuko was silent for a moment. "My name is Shizuko Aburame. I like my brother and uncle, and I'll admit to having a fondness for Ichiraku Ramen. I don't especially care for my father, but that ties in with my dreams for the future. I want him to notice and support me like he does Shino," she replied. "I also dislike anything bright in regards to light or color, which makes looking at Naruto a bit of an eyesore..."

Naruto, who had finally picked himself back up and had been thrilled to hear that Shizuko liked ramen, deflated quickly.

"Fortunately for what's left of his pride, I also pride myself on reserving my judgments," she added. "As for hobbies and other dreams... Well... I like bats too. I wouldn't mind training a few as companions. And I suppose my habit of hanging around on the ceiling could be called a hobby."

Kakashi blinked. "You do know that most species of bats eat the insects your family is infamous for study, right?" he asked. Shizuko nodded.

"Yes. A properly-trained bat can also survive off of eating about a dozen kikaichu, the beetles they carry, every day. And since the kikaichu only live a few hours and feed on chakra, it makes sense to me to come up with something that will at least somewhat relate back to my clan," she replied.

"Wait... 'They?'" Kakashi asked. Shizuko's shoulders slumped and she seemed much smaller all of a sudden. "You mean you don't have a colony of your own?"

The girl was silent for a long while before she stood up. "Where and when are we meeting up tomorrow morning?"

Kakashi blinked for a moment, half-tempted to tell her to sit back down and explain. Then he sighed. "Out by the KIA monument, five o' clock," he told her. She nodded and then took off. Once she was gone, Sakura turned to Kakashi.

"Sensei... You're just going to let her run off like that?" she asked. Kakashi sighed.

"I obviously hit a sore spot with my question regarding her lack of a kikaichu colony. Let's just... leave that subject be in the future, agreed?" he stated. Naruto frowned.

"But... Hmm... Alright. I guess, whatever's bothering her, she'll tell us when she's ready. Right?" he agreed. Kakashi nodded.

"I certainly hope so, Naruto."

* * *

Now, before you all start yelling at me, I want to mention a few more things. First off... Kakashi says that there are 27 people in their graduating class, and that only 9 will actually become genin. Except, aren't Shikamaru, Ino, and Choji Team 10? If each team is a group of three, that means there would only be nine teams. And I'm fairly sure there are four groups of three desks, although I could be wrong. So, we'll just assume that theirs was a really large class.

Second... Yes, Shino is a bit OOC, for two reasons. One, he's seen talking a lot, and two, his facial expression range beyond just his usual stoic face. I have my reasons for this. One, I figure that he'll be a bit more open with his sister than others. Remember that he checked to make sure they were alone before he started taking in the classroom? Also, how many sentences did he speak when not alone (or relatively alone) with her? The answer (for those of you too lazy to go look) is four. So... yeah.

So... Shizuko! Mary-sue? Yes, no? How about people being OOC? (Other than Shino, of course. Or you could tell me how much over-OOC he is, if you feel the need.) Any opinions on her would be wonderful, since I really haven't explored her character much yet.

Drop me a line if you want more. That's really all there is to it. In the meantime, I'm outta here.


	2. Chapter 2, Father and Uncle

Hiya! Welcome back! I got a couple of follows on this story, so for now I guess it'll do. Anyway, I'm gonna post chapter 3 next Sunday and chapter 4 next Thursday before I switch onto a Sundays-only updating schedule. Just thought I'd put that out there.

So, not a whole lot happening in this chapter, I'll warn you now. Pretty much just a glimpse into Shizuko's life. It's interesting, but not action-packed. And kinda redundant in parts, I think... Oh well. I tried.

I realize that people might seem OOC again, but hey, there's only so much that can be done to keep as mysterious a set of characters as the Aburame clan in character.

_I only own my OC, Shizuko._

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**Chapter 2 - Father and Uncle**

"You WHAT?!"

Shizuko cringed and halted in her tracks, turning and hopping up onto the roof before dropping down through a trapdoor.

"I told you he wasn't going to be happy."

Shizuko gave her brother a deadpan look.

"She more than earned it, Shibi. Hell, I don't think Shino would have done as well on the exam I gave her," another, calmer voice replied to the enraged one the twins had heard earlier. "Besides, you know as well as I do that she has to pass the secondary exam as well, and I think it's safe to say that the odds are stacked plenty against her."

"I don't give a damn, Muta, you should have told me you were training my daughter!" Shibi yelled.

Muta didn't reply for a moment. "You remember three years ago when you got onto Shino about his grades dropping?" he asked. It was silent again for a moment as the not-exactly-eavesdropping twins exchanged a look. They knew exactly what Muta was about to tell their father.

"What does that have to do with anything?" Shibi wondered. Shino could almost see his uncle's smirk as he explained.

"Shino was cutting the time he took focusing on homework back so that he could teach Shizuko as much about what he was learning as he could. Shizuko wanted to learn, and Shino was the only one willing to teach her," Muta said. "You yelled at Shino for the first time when he got a C in what was supposed to be one of his best classes. And how many times did you see Shizuko over the course of the next week, when his grades got even worse?"

"I..." Shibi started before pausing.

"Exactly. Shizuko ran away the night she heard you yelling at Shino. And your son was too worried about his sister to focus on anything else," Muta replied. "He came to me that Friday and begged me to help him find her. I assumed he had already spoken to you about it, but after we found Shizuko out in the forest and brought her back, you just went back to yelling at Shino for his suffering grades and you even told Shizuko to stop bothering him."

"Let me guess, you got them to tell you everything and volunteered to take over training Shizuko?" Shibi asked bitterly. Shizuko and Shino exchanged a look. They knew that tone. That was a tone of voice they were used to hearing right before their father went off on a long and often hurtful rant, always, save for that one week, aimed at Shizuko.

Now, it seemed, it was going to be aimed at their uncle.

"It allowed Shino to go back to school with the knowledge that Shizuko wasn't being neglected, which brought his grades back up, which it turn made you happier, and Shizuko still got to train. Frankly, I think it all ended quite well, compared to what could have happened," Muta stated, calm as always.

"I didn't want her trained as a ninja!" Shibi shouted. Shizuko huffed quietly.

"No, you wanted me buried somewhere I couldn't be found, preferably in a marriage that we all know I would never agree to willingly," she whispered angrily. Shino placed a hand on her shoulder in an attempt to calm her down.

"And like I said, the chances that she'll actually pass the second exam are slim," Muta replied.

"How slim?" Shibi questioned. Shizuko rolled her eyes, then noticed Shino's questioning gaze.

"Basically, if I can't get Knuckleheads One and Two and Cloudbrain to listen to me, we're all screwed," she summarized.

"She's a part of the only group of four, but her teammates... well... you know Naruto Uzumaki's reputation as a trickster and his poor abilities. Sasuke Uchiha doesn't play well with others, and he and Naruto hate each other with a passion. Sakura Haruno has a crush on Sasuke, but hates Naruto despite that fact that Naruto has a crush on her. Oh... And did I mention that they've been placed under Kakashi Hatake?" Muta rambled.

All was silent for a moment.

"Kakashi's never passed a team of genin before. Never," Shibi stated, sounding almost smug. Shino looked at his sister, horror written across his face, but Shizuko just sighed. She had a feeling she knew why that was, too. And she wondered if she'd be able to get the others to cooperate.

"I told you, the odds are stacked against her. But... I'll be honest, I've got faith in her. I think she might be able to make it," Muta said. The twins heard no reply from their father, but they did hear the door to the room to their right close. Shizuko sighed.

"One of these days, they'll realize how thin the wall between my room and yours is," she mumbled. Shino hung his head slightly and looked away.

"Shizuko... You know he's only going to give you one chance, right? You fail the exam tomorrow, you're gonna be stuck in the complex until he finds someone to marry you off to," he said quietly. Shizuko sighed.

"I know. But... Like I said earlier, if I can't get those three to all cooperate, we're all screwed. It's not going to be easy. Uncle Muta wasn't kidding when he said that Naruto hates Sasuke and loves Sakura, and Sakura hates Naruto and loves Sasuke. And Sasuke hates everyone... Well, he hates those two. I get the impression that if any of us is going to rally the other three into cooperating, it's me. I think I've actually managed to impress Sasuke because I can keep up a constant flow of chakra to keep me on the ceiling for hours on end," she replied.

"And that's probably a good thing." The two teens looked up and smiled.

"Hi, Uncle Muta," they chorused. Muta smirked.

"Do I need to start calling you two Shi-Shi again?" he said in that tone of voice that hinted at a playful threat.

Shino shuddered, while Shizuko sighed. Muta just laughed. "Anyway... If you've managed to at least get a little respect for that from Sasuke, it shouldn't be too hard to get the other two on your side. Sakura will be easy, because heavens knows she'll just follow Sasuke. Naruto, on the other hand..." he trailed off. Shizuko pulled a leg up to her chest.

"I'll get Naruto first. He'll probably go right out and charge Kakashi-sensei first chance he gets. Then, once Kakashi's left him somewhere, probably strung up upside-down from a tree, if his sense of humor is anything to go by, I can go cut him down and talk some reason into him. Then we'll have to go get Sasuke. He's fairly reasonable, if you can get him to listen to you," she stated.

"Should I be concerned about anyone's health during your exam?" Shino asked. Shizuko sighed.

"Physical health? No. Mental health? Possibly," she replied. Muta smirked.

"Sounds like you've got your plans made already. So... How late was Kakashi this time?" he wondered. Shizuko leveled a deadpan stare on her uncle.

"Four hours. I sat there for four hours listening to Naruto going back and forth between drawing and trying to come up with some kind of a prank, which Sakura was always yelling at him for. Oh, and then Naruto wedged a chalkboard eraser in the door, and when Kakashi came in, he actually got clonked in the head by it. And then he decided we needed to have a little time to get to know each other, and I feel sorry for Naruto, because I swear that every other comment we made was insulting to him in some way, even if I wasn't trying to be insulting," she rambled.

Shino chuckled. "Really now? So, what'd you learn about your teammates that you didn't already know?" he asked. Shizuko sighed.

"Well, let's put it this way... I probably could have told the other three more about Kakashi than he told us himself... Naruto, I swear, has only one of two things on his mind at any given time, and I don't think his pranks are one of them, giving his enthusiasm regarding being a ninja," she replied. Shino blinked.

"If being a ninja is one, and pranks aren't the other, what is?" he wondered. Shizuko smirked.

"Ramen. The first three things he talked about were ramen. So when I said I liked Ichiraku's, he got all happy just in time for me to add that I didn't like bright colors, which made him a bit of an eyesore. And that was right after Sakura screaming that she hated him," she replied. Shino and Muta chuckled.

"I'm starting to see what you mean about feeling sorry for Naruto," her uncle said. She laughed.

"Yeah, well, 'I hate Naruto' was the only full sentence that made it out of Sakura's mouth. She spent the rest of the time pretty much just blushing and looking at Sasuke. Oh, and on top of restoring his clan... Apparently Sasuke hates someone enough that he really wants to kill them. So, yeah. Pretty much the only thing I learned was that Naruto and I both like ramen," she continued. Then she frowned.

"I know that look," Muta muttered. "They asked about the kikaichu, didn't they?"

Shizuko pulled her knees up to her chest and pulled her over-large coat over them, effectively turning herself into a bundle with a head and two feet. "I told them I liked bats, and that I wanted to train one someday. Kakashi said something about bats eating the insects our clan studies, and... I mentioned that a bat could live off of only a few kikaichu a day. But..." she trailed off. "I guess I worded it wrong..."

"Kakashi guessed that you don't have a colony," Muta finished for her. She nodded.

"Yeah..."

Shino scooted closer and wrapped an arm around his twin. "Don't worry about it, Shizuko. I'm sure if you tell them you don't want to talk about it, they'll understand," he told her. She forced a small smile and snuggled up closer, and Muta smiled at the scene before leaving the twins alone. They didn't get a lot of time to themselves anymore, let alone time with each other.

It wasn't long after Muta left, however, when their father walked in on them. He crossed his arms. "Shizuko, we need to have a talk," he stated. Shizuko sighed.

"Wait, wait, let me guess," she said tiredly. "I shouldn't have gone behind your back, there was a reason you didn't want me trained as a ninja, and you're not pleased with my decisions. Did I miss anything major?"

Shibi scowled. "I'll let you participate in the second half of the exam, if for no other reason than to show you how foolish you're being when you fail. But don't you ever pull something like this again," he said, voice low and still very angry. Then he stalked off, and Shizuko bit her lip and looked at Shino.

"He really doesn't care, does he?" she asked quietly. Shino pulled his twin closer.

"He does, Shizu, he does... he just... he doesn't show it well..." he whispered. Shizuko sighed, and Shino had to admit that his heart felt heavy. He knew he was lying. His sister knew he was lying. But they had to believe the lie, they had to at least pretend that they were a perfectly functional family.

It was almost an hour later before they left Shino's room at the male twin's prompting. It was getting dark outside, but outside they went, heading for the central gardens that were shared by the entire clan. Thousands of insects floated around, going about their lives as if the two visitors weren't even there.

A distinctly large dragonfly zipped right over as Shizuko knelt down by one of the purple-flowering plants. The girl giggled as it landed on her face, its head right between her eyes. Shizuko hesitated a moment before she grinned. "Hi, Aoi," she greeted it. 'Blue' was a fitting name for it, its body being a dark shade of the color and its wings being a light blue-green. Shizuko carefully stuck her hand up under the dragonfly, and Aoi stepped onto it and allowed Shizuko to move her away from the girl's face.

"Gorgeous, isn't she?" Shino asked, leaning over his sister's shoulder. Aoi, from her head to the end of her tail, was as long as Shizuko's forearm. The girl just grinned.

"She's gotten so big," she commented. Shino chuckled.

"Yup. Not sure I can get them much bigger, though. Any larger and their wings wouldn't be able to support them properly anymore," he replied. His sister shook her head.

"She's beautiful," she told him. He nodded.

"Yeah... but she's going to be mating soon," he added. Shizuko sighed and elbowed her brother in the ribs.

"Pessimist."

"Optimist."

"I'm a realist."

"No, that's what I am. You're an optimist."

"You're a pessimist, Shino, admit it."

"Realist."

"Are you two really having this pointless argument again?"

The twins turned and grinned. "Staying for dinner, Uncle Muta?" they chorused. Muta sighed.

"Yes, Shi-Shi, I am. And dinner is almost done, so I suggest coming in before your father has to start yelling," he replied. Shizuko giggled and ran in ahead of her brother and uncle, Aoi zipping up and racing her to the door. Shino smiled and stuck his hands in his pockets.

Then the smile faded as he and his uncle started walking again. "Uncle... What happens if Shizuko passes?" he asked. Muta looked down at his nephew in confusion.

"What do you mean?" he wondered.

"It's just... Father... I'm worried, Uncle Muta. Worried that he might force her to stay home even if she passes. I don't think he'll just let her pass and go about training as a ninja," Shino told him. Muta frowned.

"If he tries to take that girl off that team, I'll put her back on it myself. I don't usually argue with my older brother, but this is one thing that I will stand up for. That girl doesn't deserve to be hidden away like this..." he agreed.

They stepped into the dining room to find Shizuko sitting on a chair already, left leg pulled up to her chest. Aoi sat there on her knee, and Shino could see his sister's lips moving, even if he couldn't hear the words she spoke.

Shibi came out of the kitchen then with a crock pot and placed it in the center of the table. He paused when he saw the dragonfly on his daughter's knee, and turned to Shino. "I take it that's the 'project' you wanted to get finished when I asked if you wanted to go out to eat last week?" he asked, an undertone of amusement in his voice. Shino nodded.

"Yeah. Gorgeous, isn't she?" he replied. Shibi smiled and looked back at the dragonfly, who was now on Shizuko's hood.

"Yes, she is. You did well with her," he told his son, ruffling Shino's hair before walking off. Shizuko held her hands out and Aoi flew down into them. The dragonfly was still being held as such when Shibi returned with a pan, which was also placed on the table.

"I'll be right back," Shizuko announced, standing up. Aoi shifted so that she was on only one of the girl's hands. "I'm going to go let Aoi back outside." She headed off quickly, not quite at a run, but too fast to be a walk, and opened the door to let the dragonfly back out into the world. Then she returned to the dining room and reclaimed her seat.

Shibi never even spared her a glance as he listened to Shino talk about Team 8.

Yeah, Shizuko's obviously got some family problems here... Oh well. We're not going to find out why for a while, so no reason to be worrying about it right now.

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See you Sunday! (And remember to drop me a line if you want more than five chapters!)


	3. Chapter 3, Lateness and Exams

So, here's Chapter 3. We finally get to see Shizuko doing more than talking. Anyway, the teamwork exercise got split up into two chapters. This is the first one. Oh, and Shizuko is about to give her teammates some very appropriate advice.

Not much else to say, really. But thanks to the people who have added this story to their favorites/alerts. You give me hope for its future.

_I don't own Naruto, just my OC, Shizuko._

Enjoy! (And maybe review?)

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**Chapter 3 - Lateness and Exams**

The early morning was quiet.

"Where the hell is he?!"

Or not.

Sasuke sighed. "For that matter, where is Shizuko? He told her to meet us here at five, and we've been here for two hours now," he grumbled, as if Naruto's outcry had broken them out of their silent trances.

"In the future, make sure to observe the area above you before asking the question 'Where is Shizuko?' because she might consider seeing how awake you are."

The three pre-teens blinked and looked up at the girl who was casually sitting on a tree branch not twenty feet above their heads. Sasuke frowned.

"You know, you missed out on some mildly important information when you left early yesterday," he told her. Her hood shifted.

"Are you referring to the fact that today's exercise is a final test to see if we're actually going to become ninjas? Or maybe you were trying to make a reference to possible need for deadly force? No? How about the sixty-six percent or higher chance of failure?"

The world was once again silent for a time.

"Did he find you afterward to tell you?" Sasuke asked. Shizuko didn't respond verbally at first, instead choosing to join them on the ground.

"No. All of us have to go through some variation of a survival test. And I can't afford to fail this," she stated. "So, since our sensei is taking his own sweet time, we should make use of it to become a little more acquainted with one another."

Sasuke scoffed. "I'm not up for another round of 'tell everyone about your life,'" he told her before turning away.

He paused in shock when he felt his arm being pinned behind his back, a kunai at his neck.

"Allow me to rephrase that, then. I'd like the four of us to be able to work _with_ each other's fighting styles, rather than trying to work _around_," she replied, removing the kunai and releasing Sasuke's arm.

The dark-haired boy whirled around, aiming a punch straight at where Shizuko was... Or rather, had been.

He looked around in surprise, realizing that she was now hanging upside-down from a tree branch. Her hood shifted.

"And we may have to work on reaction time..." she added. Sasuke dropped his bag on the ground and pulled his kunai and shuriken pouches out.

"Alright, you asked for it," he said challengingly. Shizuko frowned.

"Wait a second, Sasuke... Hmm... Boys vs. Girls. Just for a few minutes, at least," she replied. Sakura blinked.

"What? But, I want to—"

"You want a lot of things, Sakura. You're not going to get all of them. I know that quite well," Shizuko interrupted before dropping back down to the ground. "Let's keep it to taijutsu for now, no weapons or ninjutsu," she added.

Sasuke nodded once and settled into a defensive stance, while Naruto yawned. "Why are we doing this again?" he muttered, dropping his pack after pulling out his own weapons pouches. They wouldn't be using them yet, but Naruto had a feeling this was going to escalate quickly as he grudgingly took up a defensive position to Sasuke's left.

Sakura, likewise, was not exactly eager for a fight, but she too steadied herself next to Shizuko.

Shizuko nodded once, and Sasuke was across the short space in little time. Sakura cried out in surprise as Shizuko pushed her away, only to have to turn to defend herself from Sasuke. The pink-haired girl's expression became determined as she looked over at Naruto before running toward him. While Shizuko and Sasuke were occupied, she was going to see how much she could beat up the blonde.

The answer to that, as it turned out, was very little. Just as she was about to strike out against him, Sasuke managed to send Shizuko tumbling into her. The taller girl helped Sakura to her feet quickly before knocking Naruto's feet out from under him. Then she turned her attention back toward Sasuke.

Shizuko was just about to call for them to stop when Naruto successfully pinned Sakura, much to the pink-haired girl's dismay. That left just Sasuke and Shizuko, since Naruto couldn't help his partner much while holding Sakura captive.

As it turned out, Shizuko's acrobatic abilities proved to be the deciding factor between the two of them when she vaulted over Sasuke's head four times in quick succession, making him slightly dizzy and giving her more than enough time to bring him to his knees.

"Well now. That could have ended better," Shizuko commented. "Because we seem to be at a draw. Of course, a draw is not going to get us through this exam."

She released Sasuke and nodded to Naruto, signaling that he should let Sakura up.

"So how are we going to fix it?" Sakura wondered. Shizuko smirked at her before turning to Naruto.

"I'll answer that... Once I've had a look at Naruto's ability with weapons," she replied before slipping a number of shuriken out of her pouch. Naruto's eyes grew wide.

"What?! No way, one of us could get hurt!" he cried. Shizuko rolled her eyes before rushing toward him, easily pinning him.

"Better hurt now than dead later," she stated, letting him back up. "Besides, speed isn't your specialty, neither is agility. You've got a lot of physical power, but you can't focus it properly through taijutsu. That's why I want to see you fight with a weapon."

Naruto scowled and pulled out a kunai before cautiously coming at her. As it turned out, his worries about hitting her were unfounded. Agility seemed to be Shizuko's specialty, and unlike Naruto, she was wide awake.

"Alright, enough," Shizuko called, jumping back a few times as Naruto came to a halt. She looked around the group, her gaze settling on each of them once before she sighed. "Balanced teams, indeed..." she muttered.

Sasuke crossed his arms. "What's that supposed to mean?" he wondered. Shizuko crossed her arms.

"My greatest strength in a fight isn't my agility. I'm an analyst," she stated. "You, Sasuke can apply a lot of force in a short amount of time, but you'll run out of steam if you try to sustain it too long. Sakura, you need to get your head out of the clouds. You've got a strong body and you're in the middle between Sasuke and myself on the power vs. stamina scale, which effectively puts you in the middle, period. Of course, that leaves Naruto, who's somewhere between me and you, Sakura."

Sakura blinked. "So, on the power vs. stamina scale you mentioned before, you'd be on the stamina end, Sasuke would be on the power end, I'd be in the middle, and Naruto would be about halfway to the stamina end? How is that balanced?" she wondered.

Sasuke smirked. "I get it. In a fight against... We'll just say Kakashi, since that's probably what's going to happen... You could use your agility and stamina to run circles around him while the rest of us get into place, and then Sakura and Naruto could start wearing him down before I jump in with a final, powerful blow and knock him out," he theorized.

Shizuko smiled. "In theory," she agreed. "Of course, if Sakura and Naruto wanted to have any real effect in that, they'd both have to get their heads out of the clouds and actually train."

Naruto growled and started going off on a rant, while Sakura sighed and looked at the other girl. "So, um... Why do you keep saying 'of course'? I swear, you've said those two words half a dozen times by now," she wondered.

"Maybe it's like her catch phrase or something?" Naruto suggested. Sakura shot him a glare.

"I didn't ask you, Naruto!" she snapped.

"Yeah, well, it made sense to me! Believe it!" he shot back. Sasuke sighed and gave Shizuko a look, but the hooded girl was just smiling.

"At least you don't have to deal with my brother. I swear, he can monologue for so long sometimes, and the sad part is, half the time, no one's paying attention," she said. "But, yes, I do have a tendency to say 'of course'."

"Hey guys, good morning!"

All four pre-teens turned at the sound of Kakashi's voice. "You're late!" they chorused. Kakashi just shrugged and sat an alarm clock down on one of the three upright logs in the clearing. The time was five past ten.

"This is set for noon," he stated. Then he held up two bells on strings. "Your test is as follows. I have here two bells. All you have to do is take them from me. If you can successfully retrieve a bell, you pass. If not, you'll be tied to a post and I'll be eating my lunch in front of you."

Sasuke, Sakura, and Naruto's expressions fell. "So that's why you told us not to eat breakfast..." Sasuke muttered. Shizuko just sighed.

"But, sensei, there are only two bells and four of us," Sakura said. Kakashi nodded.

"Yup. Which means that at least two of you will automatically fail," he replied. "Of course, all four of you could fail, too. Now then... you may use any tools at your disposal, including your shuriken and kunai."

"What?! You couldn't even dodge an eraser, if we use weapons, we could seriously hurt you!" Naruto cried.

"If you're not prepared to use deadly force, you're not going to get the bells. Besides, those with no talent often bark the loudest... Well, let's just ignore him and start when I say," Kakashi said.

Naruto growled, slipping a kunai out of his weapons pouch before taking off toward Kakashi with the obvious intent to hurt him. Except, all of a sudden, Kakashi wasn't there. Instead, he was holding Naruto, the blonde's kunai pointed at his neck. "I didn't say 'start' yet, but I admire your tenacity. I don't know... I might actually be starting to like you guys."

He released Naruto. "Start!"

The four scattered without a word, though of the four, Shizuko ended up going the shortest distance. She had seen Sakura take cover in a bush to her relative right, and Sasuke was hidden in a tree off to Shizuko's left. Shizuko herself was well-hidden high in a tree, hanging upside down from the branch.

"Now then... Where is Naruto...?" Shizuko whispered.

"Alright now, you and me, one on one!"

Shizuko deadpanned. "Is he _trying_ to fail?" she muttered. If the way Kakashi was scratching his head was any indication, their sensei agreed with her sentiments.

Naruto started charging at Kakashi, only to pause as the white-haired man stuck a hand into a bag. But when Kakashi pulled out a book, Naruto relaxed slightly. The wind shifted for a moment, and Shizuko smirked when she heard Kakashi's reply to the question Naruto had asked that she hadn't heard.

"Why? Because I want to find out what happens. It won't...you guys," she heard.

Then Naruto ran at him again, and Shizuko watched, bored, as Naruto's every attack was blocked. Naruto kicked at him and he ducked. Then, when Naruto went to punch him... he simply wasn't there anymore.

Well, actually, he was behind Naruto. Shizuko sighed and closed her eyes. She didn't want to watch this anymore. Then again, hadn't she told her uncle last night that Naruto would probably charge straight in?

"Naruto, get out of there!" Shizuko heard Sakura yell. She opened her eyes again just in time to watch Naruto go flying into the lake. She sighed. She'd probably have to fish him out of there.

But then he made it out on his own, and Kakashi stood over him. She couldn't hear their words, but she had to admit she was impressed when almost a dozen more Narutos came out of the lake, and all of them solid, not weak illusions. Shizuko smirked.

"Well now... We could use that to our advantage," she commented. She dropped down, making her way to where she'd heard Sakura's voice earlier. She hoped that Sakura had had the sense to move after revealing her position by shouting, but then, the 'fight' between Kakashi and Naruto was rather interesting now, and she wouldn't have blamed the shorter girl if she had stayed.

Shizuko dropped down into the bush with Sakura and immediately clamped a hand over the pink-haired girl's mouth. "Relax, it's just me," she stated. She glanced out at where Kakashi was facing down the Narutos and watched as the real Naruto jumped onto his back. "Come on, we need to group up and make an actual plan," she told Sakura. "We're never going to get those bells like this."

Sakura frowned. "But, there's only two," she trailed off. Shizuko sighed.

"And your point is? Come on, I'm going to leave you somewhere and then try to find Sasuke. We can collect up Naruto once Kakashi's done with him," she decided, practically dragging Sakura out of the bush as a Naruto clone hit... Naruto. Or rather, as Shizuko decided a moment later, another Naruto clone.

"What if we can't get the bells even if we do work together? Or worse, what if we end up getting in each other's ways?" Sakura asked. Shizuko frowned.

"Why do you think I wanted to spar earlier? It wasn't just so I could evaluate your fighting skills," she replied. Then she stopped. "Here, take cover in this bush down here, and don't come out unless you can see me and I say 'beetle dung.' Kakashi is sure to know some genjutsu, I don't want you falling for it," she ordered. Then Shizuko took off again, leaving Sakura to hide where she had instructed.

Then Shizuko took off again, heading back toward where Kakashi and Naruto had been just in time to see Naruto step into a trap, which, as Shizuko had predicted the night before, resulted in him hanging upside down from a tree from a rope tied around his ankles.

Shizuko hid in a nearby tree as Kakashi approached Naruto. "Think before using a jutsu, or it will be used against you. And also... If the bait is obvious, don't take it. A ninja must be able to see into the hidden," he said. Naruto growled.

"I get it, I get it!" he chanted angrily. Kakashi sighed.

"No, you don't 'get it'. If you 'got it', I wouldn't have to be telling you this," he replied. Kakashi was about to continue speaking when a number of shuriken and kunai came seemingly out of nowhere. A few were deflected off to a tree to Naruto's relative right, but most hit Kakashi.

"Sasuke, you bastard! You went too far!" Naruto yelled, only for 'Kakashi' to turn into a log. Shizuko, who had been forced to drop to the ground when Kakashi had redirected part of Sasuke's attack toward her, sighed.

"Well, he won't be there much longer," she muttered before tossing one of her shuriken to cut Naruto down. She grabbed the blonde and pulled him to the side so he missed the second trap Kakashi had laid under the first. "Come on, we have to find Sasuke before Kakashi does," she told him. Naruto blinked.

"Where'd you come from?" he asked. Shizuko just sighed.

"I'll answer that later," she told him. "Sasuke first, then we can go meet up with Sakura. We've still got about an hour, and we're going to need at least fifteen minutes of that to make a plan."

She just hoped that Sasuke wouldn't be too reckless in the meantime.


End file.
